Valeriya Shebelnichenko, Malgaja, Oil Painting, 2023

Malgaja is a painting created by Ukrainian artist Okno in 2023. Oil on canvas personally constructed by the artist. Signed by hand. Excellent condition. Malgaja is part of a series of paintings in which the artist worked on the theme of depression. The figure has a mysterious appeal, so turned away from the back without its face being visible. The colors of the body are nicely accentuated by the stark darkness of the background, which looks like an undefined space, giving the viewer the idea of having cornered this figure, of being able to catch a glimpse of it hidden in solitude. Okno has focused on the body and its enclosure, the fetal position hinting at the figure of the child, a position in which the human takes refuge when in need of comfort. The different works in this series are sequential, tracing different stages of depression, including healing. Malgaja in this context is the most abysmal phase, hence the lonely, shy figure. The series of which this work is a part passed the selection of the contemporary art competition "Arte Laguna Prize." Of the five works in the series, two final ones ("Var" and "Lumo") were then selected for exhibition at the North Arsenal in Venice. Valeriya Shebelnichenko, aka Okno, was born in Ukraine in 1996. Painter and performer, she currently lives and works in the city of Turin, Italy. She moved to Italy in 2004 and studied at the Art and Music High School in Forlì, obtaining her diploma in 2016. with her emotional approach to painting and performance, she manages to involve the viewers by making them part of her experiences. Okno’s works have been shown in the cities of Venice, Milan, Turin, Pisa, Rimini, Forlí, Edinburgh, she arrived as a finalist in the Arte Laguna Prize and exhibited in the spaces of the Venetian North Arsenale. Her career, albeit young, denotes various collaborations, aimed at creating an artistic dialogue that involves multiple senses.